Chapter One

The forest echoed distantly to the sound of stone grinding against stone as the huge circular monument came to life. The triangular frames on the outer circle began to glow while the inner circle spun round and round before finally coming to a complete stop. The birds, which had been darting in and out of the undergrowth and lush foliage of the surrounding trees, fell abruptly silent and hid themselves away until they were sure it was safe to re-emerge. Barely a second later, a stream of energy came billowing from the centre of the circle - from the space that a moment before had been empty. The few native woodland creatures that had paused at the edge of the clearing, intrigued by the noise, scattered in all directions as a crackling blue-white cloud erupted into the clearing and then rushed back in on itself.

If the creatures had stayed, they would have seen the cloud become a translucent disc – rippling like the surface of a pond when an acorn falls from an overhanging branch into the still water below – and they would have seen four figures step from the circle of light to join a metallic box that was awaiting them in front of the stone circle. As the last figure walked down the steps to the mossy earthen floor, there was a final crackle and the stone circle was once more empty and silent.

Stepping out of the Stargate and seeing a new world for the first time always filled the members of SG-1 with excitement. They just didn't all show it in the same way.

Colonel Jack O'Neill was wary by nature and training. He was a soldier, first and foremost, and had the responsibility of keeping his team safe but secretly he was excited too, although he did his best to hide it. Only to himself, and occasionally to the members of his team, would he admit that he loved the fact that he was one of only a few dozen humans to have set foot on another world – several other worlds in fact. He just didn't feel that he had the luxury of giving into his excitement in the way other members of the team could.

His second-in-command, Major Samantha Carter, was filled with a curious mixture of emotions every time she stepped out of the wormhole's event horizon. She was all-military when it came to safety but all-scientist when it came to new worlds, gate travel and new technology. Jack could never be quite certain whether she would give him a no-nonsense report in simple English or spout scientific jargon until his brain hurt. Carter was so smart it scared him but he admired her intelligence and liked the way her face lit up when she was engrossed in investigating something particularly mind-bending.

Doctor Daniel Jackson, the team's archaeologist and Earth's only expert on the Goa'uld and many other alien cultures, was eager to explore his new surroundings. He chafed at the caution shown by the other members of SG-1 on their arrival anywhere but, knowing that their caution had saved his life more than once, he tried not to get too frustrated with the more military minded members of the team. Jack sensed the young man's impatience and hid a small smile. Sometimes he envied Daniel his enthusiasm and naivety but of course he would never tell him that.

Teal'c was the most silent and inscrutable member of the team. He paced the perimeter around the Stargate, every sense in his body alert to the possibility of danger and ready to act should the need arise. In some ways, he was the team member that Jack understood best as he had been trained as a warrior since childhood. Teal'c was always ready for the unexpected and Jack knew he could rely on his judgement without question. For a warrior, he also displayed remarkable insight and sensitivity on occasion: something that often caught the other members of the team, especially Jack, by surprise.

Under Jack's watchful eye, Sam and Teal'c finished doing a check of the area surrounding the Stargate and reported the area secure. A dense coniferous forest stretched out in all directions beyond the immediate clearing. The twitter and chatter of small birds filled the air, as they resumed their regular activities, and the area where the Stargate was situated seemed peaceful enough which encouraged SG-1 to relax their guard a little.

Finally given the all clear by the others, Daniel began to investigate the surrounding area, recording the overall scene as he moved away from the gigantic obsidian circle behind him. Immediately in front of him, a handful of small, carefully chiselled grey stone blocks fanned out in a semi-circle shape from the base of the Stargate. These were followed by another semi-circle of roughly hewn blocks that were almost as tall as Teal'c. A towering obelisk completed the collection of stone monuments and it was to this that Daniel was immediately drawn.

The MALP had not done justice to the size of the obelisk, which was impressive, nor had it shown that there were intricate carvings on all four sides. In between groupings of pictographs, it was covered in lines and dashes which Daniel began to record with his handheld video camera. Jack wandered down to see what the young archaeologist had discovered: pleased to see that there was energy in his movements and some of his usual enthusiasm was returning. The lassitude arising from grief had hung heavy around his friend, ever since their recent mission to Abydos and the final irrevocable loss of his wife.

Sha're's death had hit Daniel hard and the young man had been struggling with inner demons for weeks now. Jack had been worried about Daniel in the first few days after her loss: that the young archaeologist would quit the SGC; that he wouldn't be able to forgive Teal'c's part in his wife's death; and that he wouldn't be able to forget that his initial determination to join Jack's team had stemmed from the desire to search for his wife and his unwavering hope that he would find her one day and save her from the Goa'uld who had enslaved her.

But Daniel hadn't quit.

He had fought a private battle and won: forgiving Teal'c for taking the life of his beloved Abydonian wife in order to save Daniel's own. Still Jack was aware that Daniel was undeniably struggling with what would now be his motivation for going through the Stargate. He desperately hoped that Daniel's passion for archaeology and alien cultures was going to be enough to keep him on the team. He sure as hell didn't want to lose such a valuable asset or the man who, despite their ideological differences, was his closest friend.

"So what have we got here then, Daniel?"

The younger man didn't pause in recording the giant obelisk, as he replied in his usual breathless fashion: "This is fascinating, Jack. One side is written in the language of the Ancients but the other three sides have an entirely new language on them interspersed with pictograms. Possibly these markings could have been added at a later date which would in itself be interesting."

Quietly delighted that this planet had clearly piqued Daniel's interest, Jack asked the obvious question, "And why's that?"

Daniel slipped his camera into his bag and turned to face Jack, eyes shining with excitement. "Well, we know this planet's address came from the Ancient database not the Abydos cartouche so, of course, that means whatever society was based here has developed independently of Goa'uld interference. Also we've got Ancient text here so it could mean this planet was once occupied by the Ancients. Are any of them still here? If not, why did they leave?"

Daniel stepped to one side of the obelisk and patted the stone as he spoke: "Also Jack, what's the significance of the other writing? Did whoever wrote that co-exist with the Ancients or come along after the Ancients left? Are they still here?"

Daniel pushed his boonie back off his head and ran his fingers through his recently shorn hair. It was still taking him time to get used to having it so short. Although he wasn't naïve enough to think that respect could be earned from a haircut, he knew that his longer hair had marked him out as different, a civilian in attitude as well as position, and he was tired of being the target of petty comments. While he still didn't agree with every decision the Air-force made, he had grown to respect most of the men and woman he served with and wanted to show it. Jack had approved the decision and had understood his friend's motivation.

Daniel looked out across the clearing, waving his arms in the direction of the trees. "I'd really like to have a good look around, Jack. At the very least, I'm hoping there are more obelisks with inscriptions around here somewhere. What I really want is to find the people who wrote them."

Sam and Teal'c came back from checking the edge of the forest and the young woman reported in to her commanding officer, "We found what look like old paths to the North and East but other than that there's no immediate sign of civilisation in any direction, sir."

Jack checked his watch. "Well, I guess we've got time for a little walk. You finished here for now, Daniel?"

"For now," the young man echoed reluctantly.

"Well, let's saddle up." Jack hitched his backpack into a more comfortable position on his back. "Choose a path, Carter."

Sam led them a few feet to the right of the obelisk, where the ground leading into the forest looked slightly clearer. "This path looks as if it's been more recently used than the other one, sir."

"Okay. Teal'c you bring up the rear. Let's go see if we can find some of Daniel's aliens." Jack strode off into the forest with the rest of his team following in single file.

There were trees in all directions: the tall, smooth trunks reminded him of the Giant Redwoods of North America and Canada. The further they pushed on into the forest, the bigger the trees became or so it seemed. There was just enough space between each tree to let in some light but, down on the forest floor, the light was subdued and the leaves underfoot muffled their footsteps so that there was an eerie silence. Once or twice, he spotted movement as their passing disturbed some bird or other small creature. After half an hour, Jack ordered a halt. He took out a pair of micro binoculars and surveyed the forest in an arc from their position. Nothing. There was no sound or sight of activity in any direction.

He consulted the rest of his team: "What do you think? Shall we go further?"

There were nods from his three team members so he led the way forwards again. Shortly, the undergrowth became denser and encroached on the narrow trail, implying that there was little likelihood that the path had been used anytime recently. Sometime later, a gap appeared in the trees, suddenly opening out into a large clearing with three or four paths leading off in different directions. There in the middle stood a distinctive pale green column. Unlike the previous obelisks, this was made of a different material, was only slightly taller than Daniel and had what appeared to be branches of a tree carved around its smooth sides accompanied with more examples of the unknown writing. Daniel rushed forward and started recording.

"This is unlike anything we've come across before. This tree design must have local significance. I hope we find more columns like this one."

Jack grimaced and looked pointedly at his watch. "We shouldn't spend too much time on an archaeological hunt, Daniel. Our job's standard recon. If we report our findings back to the SGC, Hammond will probably send another team back to do a more extensive search. If they find anything important, they'll let you know."

Daniel jotted something down in his notebook and shoved it in his pocket. "We're not in any particular hurry, are we Jack? I mean we're not due back for a few hours, right?"

"No. We've got a few hours before we have to go back. Why?" Jack had a feeling he knew what Daniel was going to say.

"So let's go on a bit further. If we could find more examples of this language, it would be fantastic. It's so different from that left by the Ancients and from other languages I know. The more words I have the more likely it is that I'll work out what it means one day."

Jack looked at Daniel, noting how his blue eyes were shining with eagerness and excitement. The ghost of a smile crept onto his face: this was the Daniel he knew and the one he wanted to be returned to his team permanently.

Seeing the slight softening in Jack's face, Daniel pressed home another point: "The paths on this side of the clearing look as if they've been used more recently. Maybe the civilisation that wrote these words is still here…Maybe they're able to hide themselves from us like the Nox. If we go home too soon, we'll never know."

Jack nodded and thought that additional investigation might well prove constructive in further healing Daniel's heart and mind. He looked at Teal'c and Sam for their input. Teal'c said nothing, just raised an eyebrow that Jack interpreted as silent agreement.

Sam seemed to understand what he was thinking. She nodded and said, "Daniel has a point, sir. I think we might as well look round a bit more."

Even if looking for old columns wasn't his idea of fun, Jack had to admit to himself that he was actually finding walking under the giant trees very relaxing. All of them were glad to see some of the strain leaving Daniel's face, to see him actually enjoy himself for the first time in ages and, besides, it wouldn't be a hardship for any of them to walk on for a while.

"Fine, Daniel. You can have another couple of hours."

"Great!"

Daniel charged off onto the nearest path through the forest before Jack could change his mind; oblivious as usual to anything but the hunt for more ancient architecture. Teal'c strode after him, anxious to keep the young man safe from harm. Jack looked at Sam and rolled his eyes before the two of them jogged off to catch up with their colleagues.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

An hour and three columns later, Daniel was smiling from ear to ear and looking like a young kid who'd found a big jar of his favourite candy. He walked around in a lazy circle, taking recordings of the text from every possible angle. Jack stood in the wide clearing surrounding the fourth column they'd discovered and watched his friend with affectionate amusement. After a few minutes, he checked his watch just as his stomach started growling to remind him it was a long while since he'd had breakfast. Jack called to the rest of the team and suggested they stopped for a break. Then he turned to archaeologist, saying, "That's enough exploring for now, Daniel. Time for something to eat. I don't know about you guys but I'm starving!"

With some reluctance, Daniel had to admit he was feeling hungry and allowed himself to be distracted from the column in front of him. He sat down on the forest floor at the edge of the clearing beside his companions and the four of them broke out their rations, swapped some items with each other and then began to eat, leaning against the smooth bark of the ancient trees. While he chomped on a pile of dried fruit chips, Daniel scribbled down some thoughts in his notebook.

Jack took a swig from his canteen then craned his neck to look at the sky. From here, there was just a hint of blue visible and a slight breeze rustled the leaves on the very tops of the trees. The trees were evergreens but seed kernels were forming and some of the ferns and low-growing bushes were tinged with yellow and brown. Despite the warmth of the day, it was clear that Autumn would be on its way soon. There was a rich, earthy smell coming from the ground and the silence was very comforting. He could have been sitting on the ground in any coniferous forest back on Earth: everything felt so familiar.

Suddenly, Jack's nerves jangled and the hair stood up on the back of his neck as he was hit by the feeling they were being watched. His eyes scanned the clearing and the treeline surrounding it. Nothing. He glanced at the rest of the team. No-one else appeared to be feeling uneasy: perhaps it just his imagination then. The feeling persisted and he listened trying to work out whether there were any particularly unusual noises going on in the forest that would indicate anything amiss. He could hear small creatures moving about some distance away and something else, like birdsong but…was it music? He stiffened, all senses alerted now. Teal'c reacted first: exchanging a look with Jack before turning his eyes to scan the area around them. Sam and Daniel noticed their heightened state of alertness and tensed, hands instinctively moving closer to their weapons.

"Sir? What is it?" Sam whispered.

"I thought I heard something." Jack looked at his team for confirmation.

"Heard what?" Daniel strained to hear the smallest sound.

"It sounded like music," Jack said, "but I can't hear anything now. Must have been my imagination." He glanced at his watch. "I guess it's time we were heading back. I'm sure you've got more than enough information to keep you busy for a while Daniel. If it proves interesting, Hammond will let us come back."

Daniel started to protest but was interrupted by the sound of a few notes played on some sort of pipe which came floating through the trees. As one, SG-1 rose to their feet.

"I heard that," Sam said.

Jack's hand moved to the holster on his hip in automatic reflex: better to be prepared for the worst and leave others to hope for the best. "Looks like you were right, Daniel. There may be inhabitants after all. Let's saddle up, kids, and see who we can find."

The four of them gathered up their equipment quickly and efficiently and followed cautiously as Jack led the way through the trees in the direction of the sounds they had heard. The ground started to rise and a few moments later, the trees cleared to reveal a patch of rough ground between them and a gaping gorge. Jack walked to the edge and looked down. He could see the silvery trail of a river running along the bottom of the chasm. He looked across to the other side, where the forest started up again.

"Well, would you look at that!"

The others looked to where he pointed – a hundred or more feet above ground level there were walkways connecting the trees and in the distance there appeared to be platforms nestled between several tree-trunks.

"It's like that movie," Sam said.

Daniel looked puzzled. "What movie?"

"You know, one of the Star Wars ones."

"Oh. Not really, no." Daniel was usually too busy buried in his books to watch any science fiction.

"I believe Major Carter is referring to Star Wars episode six: the Return of the Jedi," Teal'c informed them, taking quiet pleasure in O'Neill's grimace at his encyclopaedic knowledge of human films. The video player O'Neill had given him was proving useful in understanding Earth's popular culture.

Daniel blinked in surprise then asked, "So what do we do now?"

Jack consulted his watch, making rapid calculations. They just about had time to make contact before they had to return home through the Stargate. "Well, now we know there's intelligent life here, it would be a shame not to make contact. We need to find a way to get across there," he stated as he looked along the length of the ravine. "There must be a bridge somewhere, don't you think?"

"A bridge?" Daniel looked a little pale at the thought. "It might take a while to find a way across…are you sure we've got time to get over there and back to the Gate?"

Jack was surprised by Daniel's reaction. "What's the matter, Daniel? I thought you wanted to meet these people."

"I do, I do." Daniel had thought that he'd conquered his fear of heights but right now his stomach was turning over at the thought of putting even one of his feet on a bridge that was probably made of nothing but wood and rope and slung across an enormous drop. Well, he'd just have to get over it, wouldn't he? It couldn't be that bad surely. He kept his anxieties to himself and mustered some enthusiasm from somewhere, as he said, "Okay then, let's find that bridge."

Jack set about deploying his team. "Teal'c, Daniel, you head left. Carter and I'll go right. Keep in radio contact and let me know the minute you find anything."

The two men nodded. Jack couldn't resist adding: "And Daniel remember: if you go down to the woods today…"

"You're in for a big surprise…" Daniel finished with a grimace. "Thanks, Jack. You're such a comfort."

Jack grinned. "Okay, let's move out. Watch out for teddy bears everyone."

Daniel grimaced and set off with the Jaffa Warrior close behind him while Sam followed her commanding officer, barely concealing a groan. The two of them pushed their way through the thickening undergrowth, keeping a course parallel to the ravine.

After a few minutes the radio crackled and Teal'c informed them that Daniel and he had found a bridge. "It is in use, O'Neill," he added.

"Copy that. You and Daniel stay out of sight. We'll be with you in a minute."

Jack and Sam quickly backtracked, finding Daniel and Teal'c crouched behind a shelter of trees and bushes, from where they could watch the comings and goings across the bridge without being detected. The beings seemed humanoid but it was hard to see from this distance. Suddenly, there was the sound of a horn being blown and the creatures on the bridge quickened their pace. There was a steady stream of them heading towards the trees they inhabited and then silence. They disappeared into the trees and SG-1 could just make out some movement in the treetops that indicated they were returning home.

Jack stood up. "Let's go introduce ourselves, shall we?"

The rest of them stood up and together they walked openly to the bridge, expecting some response to their arrival. Nothing happened. Perhaps no one had noticed them yet but Jack doubted it: to him the return to the village seemed like an act of caution against the unknown arrivals.

SG-1 reached the wooden struts buttressed against the edge of the ravine: these supported the thick woven ropes that comprised the upper layer of the crossing. Below them wooden slats and thinner ropes made up the lower part.

"Looks well made," Jack stated as he stepped confidently on to the edge of the bridge. It swayed a little from side to side but not too badly. He'd crossed worse bridges: some had been little more than a tightrope from one side to the other. He took a couple of steps forward but stopped when from behind him, he heard Daniel say, "Oh God."

Jack stopped and turned round. Even from a few feet away he could see that Daniel had turned as white as an ice-hockey court. "Daniel?"

The young man swallowed nervously. "I'm sorry, Jack, but I don't think I can go across there." He expected Jack to roll his eyes with exasperation but instead his commanding officer walked towards him and stepped back on to the cliff top.

"I thought you'd got over your fear of heights," Jack said calmly.

"I thought I had too but…rope bridges…" Daniel shuddered. "They still terrify me…I mean I know intellectually there's really nothing to fear…I've just seen all the locals go over with no problem…but…" Overwhelmingly raw emotions erupted through Daniel's fragile defences and he waved his hands in frustration at himself. "What am I doing here, Jack? I shouldn't be out in the field with you guys. I'm still just the weakest link, the guy who lets you down all the time!" He hung his head and turned away from his team.

Sam winced at the genuine anguish in her friend's voice but, before she could speak, Jack surprised them all by placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder and taking a step closer to his side. He waited until he had Daniel's full attention before saying, "Listen to me, Daniel. You are one of the most courageous men I have ever worked with. If it wasn't for you, some of us wouldn't be standing here right now so don't ever say you shouldn't be here or we don't need you."

Daniel lifted his head a little and muttered, "Thanks." He sounded surprised at the uncharacteristically long speech from Jack.

Teal'c considered his young friend's dejected demeanour and said, "Indeed. You are gifted in ways that we could never be and SG-1 would be the poorer for your absence."

Daniel took a few steadying breaths to try to calm his rapidly beating heart and said quietly, "Thanks, guys…I'm just…I'm sorry…I just feel like I'm still the weakest link when it comes to physical stuff like this…and I'm sorry…I can't seem to get a grip on my emotions at the moment…I don't know what's wrong with me."

Jack said gruffly, "You haven't got anything to apologise for on that front. You're dealing with a grief that would have most men crawling into a hole and hiding away for months. I know…I've been there. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Daniel."

Sam touched Daniel's other arm as she said, "Daniel. I think you're amazing the way you've thrown yourself back into work but it has worried me that you're trying to deal with everything alone. Don't forget we're all here if you want to talk."

Returning his eyes to scanning the alien's movements on the other side of the bridge, Teal'c said gently, "Your inner strength is remarkable, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel flushed and couldn't think of a thing to say but he nodded and took another slow breath, readying himself for what he knew he needed to do. Jack decided they had been touchy-feely enough for one day, actually for at least a month. It was time to change the mood and get on with the job in hand.

"Anyway, so what if you're scared of heights - it's nothing to be ashamed of. Hell, I'm scared of those little buggy things that look like twigs!"

As Jack had hoped she would, Sam raised an enquiring eyebrow. "Really, sir? But they're so tiny. I even had some as pets when I was little."

Jack shuddered at the thought of that and then got back to business. "Now, Daniel, we're going to find a way to get you across this bridge so you can meet the people who live here and so that you can charm them the way you always do so that we get an invitation to come back. Okay?"

"Uh, okay, I'll try…" Daniel took off his glasses and wiped the moisture caused by fear from his face before firmly replacing them back on his nose. He pulled his boonie down hard so that it limited his view to the side and prepared to follow his teammates across the gorge.

"Teal'c, you go across first and keep an eye out for a welcoming party," Jack suggested.

The Jaffa nodded and set off across the bridge. It swayed with the motion of his strides and a hint of green was added to Daniel's white face as he muttered, "The problem is I can see the drop through the ropes – it's not solid enough."

Jack encouraged him gently, "You can do this, you know. How about if I go in front of you, Daniel, and Carter goes right behind you. That should make you feel more secure, shouldn't it?"

Teal'c was half way across the bridge, as the remaining three stepped up to the first plank. Daniel froze when he both saw and felt the slight swaying of the bridge. He swallowed nervously.

Jack said, "If it'll help, you can put your hands on my shoulders."

Daniel grimaced but did as he suggested. "I feel so stupid. I can travel half way across the galaxy and I can't walk over a bridge on my own."

Jack ignored this outburst. "Now why don't you look at the back of my head and just think about taking one step after another. Of course, if I'd known you were going to be staring at it, I'd have stuck a photo of the Great Pyramid on my cap." Jack placed his hands on the guide ropes. "Okay, Daniel, off we go. Nice and steady."

Jack kept up a running commentary for the entire length of the bridge, assuring him they were "almost there" every few steps. Finally, they reached the other side and Daniel stumbled to the forest edge, glad to have solid ground beneath his feet. Sighing with relief, he threw his boonie back from his head and leaned gratefully against a wide but smooth tree trunk.

"Piece of cake! Well done, Daniel," Jack said as he ruffled his friend's hair. He gave Daniel a chance to draw breath then suggested that they headed towards what appeared to be the nearest walkway leading into the treetop village. Maybe they could attract someone's attention.

Teal'c and Sam led the way, alert and ready for any situation. Jack fell in beside Daniel who said, "Thanks Jack."

Jack couldn't resist smiling as he said, "The good news is you made it…The bad news is we've got to cross that bridge again to go home."